Kindergarteners listen to a lesson at Kaiserslautern Elementary School in Germany in August 2023. Registration for prekindergarten has begun this week at 80 Defense Department schools, marking the launch of the first full-day preschool program in most U.S. military communities worldwide. (Department of Defense Education Activity/Facebook)
Registration for prekindergarten at 80 Defense Department schools began Wednesday, marking the launch of the first full-day preschool program in most U.S. military communities worldwide.
A spending bill passed last month by Congress included $75 million for universal prekindergarten, allowing the Department of Defense Education Activity to go ahead with a program that military parents have long desired.
The 80 schools preparing to welcome American 4-year-olds when the new school year starts in August include M.C. Perry Primary School in Iwakuni, Japan, which was the first in DODEA to offer prekindergarten this year.
All children eligible for DODEA schools who turn 4 on or before Sept. 1 may be registered, which can be done online at dodea.edu/registration.
An additional 10 schools will join the program in later phases, according to DODEA.
In the Pacific, all 23 primary schools are preparing to open their doors to prekindergartners this fall.
In Europe, all but five of the 34 DODEA primary schools will have prekindergarten. Wiesbaden, Aukamm, Ansbach, Ramstein and Kleine Brogel elementary schools aren’t equipped with the proper space or facilities to provide the program right away, said Jessica Tackaberry, a DODEA-Europe spokeswoman.
Prekindergarten start dates at those schools will be based on circumstances at each location, Tackaberry said.
“Kleine Brogel will need modifications to current space and the remaining schools will need new facilities,” she said.
About $8.8 million of the $75 million in federal funds for DODEA universal prekindergarten in fiscal year 2024 is for military construction, Tackaberry said. The remainder is for operations, a large portion of which will go toward pay and benefits.
DODEA has created 250 new teaching jobs to meet its goal of a student-to-teacher ratio of 18-to-1.
The agency also plans to hire about the same number of educational aides across each region for the start of school “and we are actively seeking applicants for those positions,” Tackaberry said.
Hiring for the upcoming school year is about 70% complete for teachers, she said. Teaching positions are full-time and DODEA is recruiting a mix of local and stateside applicants, Tackaberry said.
There will be certified early childhood educators in every prekindergarten classroom, she said, as well as a full-time educational aide working alongside the teacher.
DODEA has selected The Creative Curriculum for Preschool, which is centered on age-appropriate, play-based learning, according to its website.
DODEA will offer transportation to all prekindergarten students living outside of the walking zone and within the commuting area, the agency said.
Students will begin and end their day according to their school’s bell schedule.
The first day of school typically will be 10 days after K-12 students start, though the schedule may vary by location.
